Color Rules: 4 Very Versatile Colors for Any Room

Losing sight of your emotional goal is a mistake often cited when homeowners choose the wrong color for a room. If you're after a calm room, the experts say, you'll have to stay away from your favorite color red. But the truth is, just like people, colors can surprise you. Here are more than a dozen rooms where the vibe of the room goes against the conventional color personality.

Some colors can't change their stripes, so to speak. White always makes a room more open and airy, and a touch of pink seems to make even the most masculine room instantly more femme. But these four colors seem to be more versatile, in both big and small doses. It goes to show that even if calming blue is your favorite shade, you can still use it to make a room more vibrant. (The secret for balancing all of these moody colors? Lots of white.)

1. Black can make a room feel smaller, but black can also be cheerful and airy.

The rules for black:

Ease in with shades of gray.

Show a lot of floor.

Keep other elements cheerful, feminine and bright.

Balance black with white.

2. Red adds a lot of energy and passion, but red can be calming in the right space.

The rules for red:

Use small doses.

Try less saturated shades.

Keep everything else white.

3. Blue makes a room more calming, but blue can also be energetic and lively.